1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to direct mail articles and commercial methods for preparing large numbers of such articles, each of which comprises a plurality of envelopes containing one or more separate enclosures.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present invention represents an advance in the direct mail art disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,557,519 and 4,067,171. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,519, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, there is disclosed a method of preparing an addressed envelope containing a single separate personalized lettersheet from an integral combination envelope-lettersheet that can be part of a continuous web. U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,171, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, discloses a method of making a multiple-enclosure mailer comprising a personalized envelope containing a plurality of separate personalized enclosures such as letter sheets, forms, return-mail applications and the like, which are prepared from two or more separate integral composite sheets. The two or more sheets are temporarily bonded in a mated configuration by crimping or gluing along a portion of the longitudinal edges of the sheets after they are form printed. The joining of the sheets in this manner eliminates mismatching of personalized sheets that had troubled the direct mail industry. The sheets remain joined along their longitudinal edge portions during further processing steps. Prior to insertion into the envelope packet that is formed by folding the envelope section, the joined edge portions are trimmed away to separate the sheets from one another. The sheets are cut along a transverse fold line prior to sealing the envelope flap to provide a plurality of separate personalized enclosures.
The terms "personalized" and "personalization" as used throughout this description will be understood by those familiar with the art to include information regarding the recipient's name, address, gender, age, and other data which may be collected from demographic studies.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the special handling required for the insertion of one or more enclosures into the envelopes adds significantly to the overall cost of a direct mail campaign or program, and particularly to the expense of larger campaigns which typically can involve the mailing of a million or more articles.